Fires of Kiev Read online

  “You know my name—if we’re going to drink together I should know yours, eh?”

  “Olek,” the guard answered, greedily tipping the mug back.

  “Well, then, Olek—” Kostya poured another shot into his mug, “—are you going to be here when the missile is launched?”

  “It is me and Alec until the end. They sent everyone else to Kiev.” Olek nodded.

  “Alec is the man on ground level, no?” Kostya sipped from his mug. “We are all dead men, you know.”

  Olek laughed. “No, my friend. You are the dead man. Once the missile is launched, there is no reason for the Vlasenko brothers to keep you alive.”

  “Once the missile is launched, anyone in this bunker will be dead.” Kostya raised his mug to him. “So make your peace with this world, Olek, the Vlasenkos have screwed you, too.”

  “What the hell do you mean?” Olek roared, reaching across the table and grabbing Kostya by the collar. “Petro said that we could leave as soon as the missile was clear, about an hour after launch.”

  “He lied.” Kostya pushed back from him and spoke softly but clearly. “This bunker may have withstood a launch during the Cold War, but it is no longer fortified like it once was. The hydraulics are dry, the steel reinforcing the concrete has been looted, the blast doors are no longer airtight. The only thing they have updated in this place is what was needed to accomplish their launch. We are expendable.”

  “That’s impossible,” Olek said. He retreated back to his seat and took a gulp of his liquor. “I have a wife, a family—what will they do?” He studied Kostya. “Are you sure?”

  “I rebuilt the components, didn’t I?” Kostya poured again. “I know a lot about this. We’re dead if we launch the missiles, and dead if we don’t because Vlasenko will kill us.”

  “We should tell Alec. He has a new wife and a baby coming.” Olek drank. He stood and walked over to the racks of components. “Why would they not tell us this?”

  “Why do you think?” Kostya said. “They knew you wouldn’t do it. Nothing is worth dying over.”

  “I would die for Novorossiya,” Olek proclaimed. “But I can do more than die in an outdated silo holding a gun to a computer nerd. I don’t want to be buried under twelve layers of concrete.” He was starting to sweat and a panicked look crept into his eyes.

  “Hey, comrade,” Kostya said, putting a hand on his shoulder. “What if I had a way to launch the missile, and I could keep us all alive, too?”

  “You do? But why would you save me? I’m going to kill you once the missile launches.” Olek turned to him hopefully.

  “You and I are in strange circumstances, aren’t we? If I said nothing and let you die in this place, I would die with you under the rubble of twelve stories of concrete.” Kostya smiled.

  Olek nodded. “So why tell me? You die either way.”

  “I hope to strike a bargain.”

  Olek started laughing.

  “A bargain. That’s rich, Kostya. And I suppose you want me to trust you, a dirty Cossack.” He went back to the desk and sat down. “You are a liar.”

  “You haven’t heard my proposal yet.” Kostya focused on keeping his hands steady and his breath constant. “I would guarantee your life and Alec’s life, and after the missile launch, if this place is still standing, you can take my life. If it is rubble, you let me disappear. You can tell Vlasenko that I am lost in the rubble. He’ll never know.”

  “Why would I do this? Why would I betray Novorossiya to help you?” Olek was starting to shake, and he swallowed some more vodka. “I am not a traitor.”

  “I don’t think you would leave your family without a father, would you? If I help, the missile will still launch. Novorossiya will still be victorious. You will be a hero for forcing the launch. And I will disappear, never to be seen again.” Kostya smiled. “There is no harm done.”

  “If we did this, what would you need?” Olek sat back in the chair.

  Kostya looked back at his work area. “I would need a cell phone, preferably an older phone that is easily opened, and I would need to contact my friends who are just a few miles from here for their help to get us away from the launch zone quickly.”

  “Are your friends Cossacks, too?”

  “Americans, staying with a Ukrainian family.”

  He sighed. “Can you guarantee our safety there?”

  “Well, Mrs. Melnyk might force you to eat her homemade stew and fresh baked bread.”

  He considered, and then started slowly. “Let me go talk to Alec.” His eyes darted around the room. “There’s no way out without going past us upstairs, so don’t even think about it.”

  Kostya retreated to his work area and began working on the plan to save himself and the Ukraine and to get to Meredith. If he were right, they wouldn’t have much time.

  ****

  Meredith woke up with a pounding headache, a sign of a rough day ahead. She downed two ibuprofin before taking a quick shower. Wrapping herself in the hotel’s robe, she entered her bedroom and was welcomed with hotel staff laying out a lavish breakfast tray. The tall silver coffeepot called out to her immediately, and she poured a cup that she dosed liberally with fresh cream and sugar.

  Sipping her coffee, she threw open the curtains to Independence Square below. There must have been thousands of people already assembling. If only they knew what they were going to witness today.

  Could they stop it? Would Fire of Dawn claim Novorossiya and begin a reign of terror on the Earth? If Kostya didn’t return, what would happen to her?

  She had to have faith. Even if Kostya were unsuccessful, she would get out of Stas’s control somehow. It was just more difficult with the armed patrol around all the time. A shiver of doubt ran up her spine. She shook it off and poured more coffee.

  She dressed in the prescribed red skirt suit, including the rather extravagant lingerie, and a few minutes after nine, Stas entered, followed closely by his armed entourage. She stood for his inspection.

  “How do I look?”

  He smirked, eyeing her up and down. “I was hoping your hair would be down today. It’s always so lovely that way.”

  She clenched her teeth and forced the corners of her mouth up. “Of course. I’ll make the adjustment.” She ducked in the bathroom to make the change, knowing the more she pleased him the more time she was buying.

  Stas wandered around the room while he waited.

  “I’m glad to see you stuck with the fruit this morning. Pancakes and muffins are just not friendly to your weight.”

  Meredith leaned out of the bathroom. “Are you worried about my weight?”

  “No, I’m just thinking of public perception. Nobody wants to look at pictures of a fat cow.”

  Meredith closed her eyes and took a deep breath while looking in the mirror. “No, I suppose they don’t.” Finishing with a quick spritz of hairspray, she came in the room and spun around. “Better?”

  He nodded and she grabbed her purse, making sure she had more painkillers. She was going to need it.

  Petro Vlasenko was on the official schedule of speakers, expected to give a talk on making more jobs for the people in the Ukraine. A successful businessman, he was a natural choice for the program on this day celebrating Dignity and Freedom. His speech was scheduled for noon, after the memorial service for those lost during the Maidan protests. Stas said the missile launch would be announced during his speech. In the meantime, Fire of Dawn was setting up watch in the ballroom on the top floor of the hotel where Stas had taken her the night before. They had televisions and audio hooked up from the official stage of the event.

  Stas and Meredith entered side by side with her guards behind them. Petro came up to them immediately.

  “Stas. I am so happy you are here.” He grabbed Stas’s hand in a handshake and then around his shoulders in an embrace.

  “How are things going so far, Petro?”

  “A lot of yammering about peaceful reconciliation and freedom from corruption in g
overnment.” He moved his hands like mouths going on and on. “Nothing unexpected. We certainly will get the world’s attention, however.”

  “Yes, we will.” Stas surveyed the room. “Anyone I need to know?” They continued to talk and plan their strategy while Meredith stood quietly.

  After several minutes, a girl came by to take drink orders, and Meredith ordered a cranberry and soda with lime. The girl ducked away, but Meredith turned to see Stas seething beside her.

  “Excuse me for a moment, brother. I must make a correction.” He dragged her to the side of the room and hissed, “What did I say about speaking?”

  “It was a waitress. I spoke Russian.”

  “With a dirty Ukrainian accent.” He threw back his arm and swung forward, backhanding her in the jaw. “Do. Not. Speak. To anyone except me. Do you understand?”

  So startled by his hit, she could only cover her jaw with her hands. “Yes,” she whispered.

  “Now go to the ladies’ room and clean up. I will not allow you to embarrass me.” He straightened his tie and jacket and strode back to finish his talk with his brother.

  She practically ran to the bathroom, hiding in one of the stalls until she could gain some confidence back. Although she knew she wasn’t alone, right now she felt like it. I can’t even put on my own big girl panties, she silently laughed, thinking about today’s lingerie packet.

  Hearing someone else enter the bathroom and the stall next to her, she hurried out to touch up her powder and lipstick. She couldn’t stop thinking about how Stas acted.

  What a jerk.

  The other toilet flushed and a person dressed in the hotel wait staff uniform came out and started washing her hands. “Meredith, you are very brave.”

  Meredith raised her eyes to look at the person in the mirror. “Olena? Oh my God, what are you doing here?”

  “Shh, this is supposed to be covert.” She grabbed Meredith’s hands. “I’m here to make the final arrest when he announces the missile will be launched.”

  “You’re special forces? Police?”

  “U.N. Peacekeepers,” she confessed. “We’ve been tracking Stas ever since he killed all those people during the Maidan riots. When Kostya alerted authorities about the missile rebuild, we’ve been right on top of the Vlasenkos.”

  “I am so glad to see you.” Meredith hugged her tight then looked around cautiously. “I need to get back. Stas has certain, uh, expectations.”

  “I saw that. Just keep him happy. He has to believe nothing is going wrong.” She frowned, “Oh, and we shouldn’t be seen together out there, all right?”

  “I feel better just knowing someone is here with me. Thank you.” She stepped toward the door.

  “One more thing, Meredith. Will and Ben are in my bunker safely working on the missile issue. Last I heard, Kostya was safe.”

  Although it was good to hear about Will and Ben, her stomach fluttered with the mention of Kostya. “You’ve heard from him?”

  “He radioed a short message about Vlasenko, but nothing else to my knowledge.”

  Her heart beat faster knowing that he was still working, but she worried about what would happen in the next few hours.

  “Thank you, Olena,” she mouthed, and hurried back out to stand next to Stas.

  Chapter 38

  “I think that’s everything but the keys and the code, both of which we’ll do on the Vlasenkos’ call.” Kostya studied the apparatus he managed to put together. “After the keys are turned and the encoder sequence is verified, we will have about a half-hour while the missile tests and initializes its programs and gets ready to launch. That’s our escape window.”

  “And the phone you took apart will press the button when it’s time?” Olek asked.

  “It will send a charge that acts as if the button is being pushed,” Kostya explained. “To everyone outside, it will be like we were here doing it.”

  “Where are we going to hide?” Alec asked. “I’m worried someone might see us and report we weren’t here, that we’d left our post.”

  “We’ll go with my friends for a couple hours while the blast happens, and then we’ll find your families and bring you back to my friend’s house to hide. If the blast doesn’t happen, you will be brought back to use the truck they gave you to go report.” Kostya put his hand on Alec’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. You’ll be fine.”

  “Unless you decide to tell someone,” Olek taunted. “I certainly won’t.”

  Alec thought for a moment. “I still don’t understand why you wouldn’t sabotage the missile launch. You could promise us that we’ll be fine, that we won’t get in trouble for not following orders, and then screw us when your friends get here.”

  “Maybe I could.” Kostya shrugged. “But the alternative is that we all stay down here, and we all die when the missile launches. It’s really your choice. You two have the guns.”

  Alec looked at Olek who nodded. “So now we wait?” Alec said.

  “Now we wait.”

  ****

  “Let me get this straight.” Will looked incredulously at Ben. “Kostya wants to launch the missile?”

  “It’s brilliant when you think about it,” Ben said. “First, there will be no doubt who is responsible for the launch. The Vlasenkos are going to use it as their platform for taking Novorossiya.”

  “This is true, but there’s the pesky detail of ten nuclear warheads hurdling toward cities around the world,” Will growled. “We might arrest the two Vlasenkos but kill a million people.”

  “No, that’s the beauty of the plan.” Ben practically giggled as he pulled out the maps for the encoder chip. “The chip has three functions. Three! It can enable the butterfly valve on the missile allowing a launch, or it can disable the valve, making a launch impossible.”

  Ben studied the map.

  “And?” Will prompted impatiently.

  “It can cause the fuel valve to malfunction during a launch, resulting in an explosion.” Ben smiled. “Do you see, Will? If we have the code and send the command on the correct UHF channel, which we already have, we can abort the launch.”

  “You mean blow the rocket up?” Will asked.

  “In a glorious display for the whole country to see.” Ben laughed. “There will be undeniable proof of the Vlasenkos’ plan to kill thousands, they’ll be arrested, and the missile won’t just be stopped, it will be destroyed, making it unavailable to anyone else who might want to pick up the plans.”

  “He did it. Hell, Kostya did it. He stopped a coup d’état and thwarted a major nuclear catastrophe.” Will shook his head. “Unbelievable.”

  “He hasn’t done it yet,” Ben reminded him. “We still have to go pick him up and bring him here to send the signal as soon as Vlasenko sends the order.”

  “What else could go wrong?” Ben asked.

  ****

  Meredith stood on the stage next to Stas, both slightly behind Petro who was at the podium. She saw cameras aimed at them from every angle. How she longed to denounce what was about to happen. She didn’t want her likeness associated with people who were killers. She hoped that Kostya had been successful in stopping the missile, but so far it seemed like the Vlasenkos’ plan was right on track.

  She prayed that Kostya was all right. Even if the missile launched, if he could find his way back to her, she could find a way for them to disappear together. Even if they lived on a deserted island for the rest of their days, they would be safe. Home would be wherever they were together.

  She brought her hand up to the chain hanging around her neck. He had to be safe. The promise they made locked their love together five years ago, and she refused to go on without him. Her Kostya. Her love. Her home.

  Although Petro had been speaking for a while, Meredith tuned into his speech, knowing that the moment was coming. Petro was charismatic and handsome, and she could see why many people would be drawn to him for answers. The mix of cultures in the Ukraine combined with the corruption of past leaders and the poor
economy made the creation of Novorossiya a possibility, and Stas and Petro Vlasenko were ready to take advantage of this moment in history.

  But their intentions were hardly good, and she imagined it wouldn’t be long before they stripped the region of wealth from their natural resources, monopolized the oil pipelines crossing their land, and taxed the people beyond what they should bear. She wondered if the other missiles would ward off help from NATO or the U.N., or if the Vlasenkos would be defeated in a bloody coup. Whatever was going to happen, she knew she didn’t want a part of it.

  The energy in Petro’s speech was heightening and Meredith stood frozen as he spoke words the world would never forget.

  “We declare from this moment that the area territories of Kharkov, Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, Zaporozhye, Nikolaev, Dnepropetrovsk, and Odessa are, and will forever be, member states of the new Confederation of Novorossiya. From the borders of the Black Sea through the winding waters of the Dnieper, our land is rich in resources, in culture, and in people.”

  There were gasps and the scattered loud cheers from the crowd’s Novorossiyan supporters, overwhelming the Ukrainian majority in attendance. Many stood hushed as they realized what Petro was declaring.

  He had proclaimed a civil war that would split their country in two.

  “My brother Stas and I will immediately take our place at the head of this great nation. To convince all leaders, all countries of our place, we will offer this demonstration of our power. In a few minutes, looking to the southeast of this city, you will see a very visible rocket launch.” He nodded to one of his guards who made the call to start the launch sequence. “This will be a nuclear missile with ten warheads launching to hit targets throughout the West. One half hour after it is launched, the targets will be destroyed, proving the strength of New Russia.”

  Upon hearing about the missile, it was as if the energy of the crowd was sucked into a vacuum. Everyone turned the direction of the launch and discussion buzzed throughout the crowd. Meredith scanned the audience, seeing face after face of disbelief and awe. This crowd, scarred by death and destruction already, wasn’t celebrating the actions of the Vlasenko brothers; they were solemn and wary of them. It seemed many people wanted Novorossiya, but not at this heavy price.